ARRIVE BANGKOK

Day  01

 

On arrival at Bangkok International Airport, you will be received by our representative and transferred to your chosen accommodation. In the evening, you will be taken to the pier of the Bangkok Marriot Resort & Spa where you will board the Manohra cruise for your dinner. After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel for your overnight stay.

 

Overnight: Bangkok

 

Meals: - Lunch (depending on arrival time), Dinner

 

BANGKOK / CHIANG RAI

Day  02

 

After an early breakfast, you will be taken to the airport in time for your flight to Chiang Rai. You will be received by our representative and be taken to your chosen accommodation to complete your check in formalities.

 

Lunch.

 

After lunch, take a boat trip on a long tail boat along Mae Kok River passing tiny hill tribe villages, bamboo huts and jungles. You will have the chance to visit a Karen hill tribe village. See how the villagers here go about their daily lives.

 

You will then be taken back to your chosen accommodation where you will have dinner.

 

Overnight: Chiang Rai

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

 

 

 

 

CHIANG RAI

Day  03

 

After breakfast, visit the Mae Fah Luang Botanical Garden, which lies 1512 meters above sea level, followed by a visit to the Princess Mother’s Royal Chalet and museum. On the way there, stop for a visit at the Akha and Lahu ethnic hill tribe village.  Continue to Chiang Saen, former capital of the first Thai Kingdom, situated directly on Mekong River at the Thailand-Laos border. Visit Wat Phra Dhat Jom Kitti by climbing 383 steps to the top of the hill.  Also visit Wat Jedi Luang and the small museum nearby. Next on the agenda, visit the Golden Triangle. Here there are magnificent views over the Mekong river of the physical triangle made by Burma, Laos and Thailand at the confluence of the Ruak and Mae Khong.

 

Lunch will be at a local restaurant in Chiang Rai.

 

After lunch, visit Mae Sai, the northern most point of Thailand and border town before returning to your chosen accommodation. Dinner will be at your hotel.

 

 

Overnight: Chiang Rai

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

CHIANG RAI / CHIANG MAI

Day  04

 

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to Chiang Mai by surface. On the way to Chiang Mai, visit Wat Rong Khun, the white temple designed by one of the pre eminent artists of Thailand.  After the temple visit, make a brief stop at Mae Ka Chan which is a well known hot spring. It is a favored bathing place for locals who believe that the spring relieves their aches and pains.

 

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

 

After lunch, you will be taken to Sankamphaeng Handicraft Village to witness how northern Thai handicrafts are produced. Handicrafts include silk, saa paper, lacquerware and other high quality products. You can also purchase these items as souvenirs.

 

You will then be taken to your hotel to complete your check in requirements. Dinner will be at a Thai restaurant in town. The rest of the evening is free for you to roam the city on your own.

 

Overnight: Chiang Mai

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

CHIANG RAI / CHIANG MAI

Day  05

 

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Mae Sa Elephant Camp. Watch the elephants take their morning bath in the running streams before starting their day’s training and work.  See the demonstration of elephants at work. After the conclusion of your visit to the elephant camp, you will be driven northwards to vist the Pha Nok Kok villagers who are part of the Hmong tribe, though most of them are Christians. The hill that they have made their home on is over 1,000 meters above sea level. The surrounding areas are fertile tropical forests with various kinds of plants and herbs.  The traditional life and culture of the Hmong and their activities await visitors. On the way back to your hotel, you will stop at an orchid farm where you will learn how these exquisite flowers are grown.

 

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

 

You will then be returned to your hotel. The rest of the evening is free for you until your dinner. Tonight’s dinner will be a typical northern style Khantoke affair. The food is served on a wooden pedestal tray, called Khantoke. Diners sit on the floor around the Khantoke, supported by triangular cushions. The dishes are all northern Thai delicacies. While guests are enjoying their meals, there are usually performances of traditional northern Thai culture (Lanna dances and music). Additionally there are also hill tribe shows.

 

After dinner, you will then be returned to your hotel for your overnight stay.

 

Overnight: Chiang Mai

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

CHIANG MAI

Day  06

 

After breakfast, your city tour of Chiang Mai commences.  Drive through different parts of the city, passing old city walls, gates, city moats and Tapae, Chiang Mai’s main street to visit  Wat Phra Singh(A.D.1345) housing a very old and sacred Buddha image;  Wat Chedi Luang (A.D.1411) where the famous Emerald Buddha was once enshrined. Near Wat Chedi Luang, walk to Wat Pan Tao which is embellished in a wooden northern style architecture.

 

Lunch will be at a restaurant in the city.

 

After lunch, visit Chiang Mai’s most sacred temple, ’Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep’. This temple was built in 1383. It is located 15 kms from the city and 3,500 feet above sea level. See the marvelous golden pagoda, which icontains the holy relics of Lord Buddha. You can enjoy the panoramic view of Chiang Mai City and Ping valley from the summit of Doi Suthep. Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is approached on foot by climbing a steep 306 stairway flanked by tremendous mythical Nagas, which symbolize humanity’s progress from earth into nirvana.

 

You will be returned to the hotel where you will have some free time till dinner. Dinner will be had at a Thai restaurant in the city.

 

Overnight: Chiang Mai

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

CHIANG MAI / BANGKOK

Day  07

 

After breakfast, proceed to the airport for your flight to Bangkok.

 

Upon arrival in Bangkok, you will be taken for a city tour of Bangkok.  Visit Wat Trimit, known for its famous Golden Buddha. The beautiful image of solid gold is three meters high and weighs five and a half tons. Continue the tour by passing through beautiful city scenery of the colorful flower market and Chinatown. The bustling business area of Chinatown is especially known for its gold jewellery shops. The atmosphere is totally changed at night - hordes of food stalls line the streets.

 

Visit Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), founded in the 16th century, the oldest and biggest temple with the largest number of pagodas (95 in all) in the city. Wat Pho was the first open university of Thailand which offered courses in several branches of knowledge like literature, astrology, medicine and massage. It’s well known for its huge Reclining Buddha, 46 m. long and 15 m. high.

 

Lunch will be at a local restaurant.

 

You will then be taken to your hotel for check in purposes. Relax here till evening when you will be taken to Siam Niramit for a cultural show. Siam Niramit is set on a site of 10 acres and in addition to the theater, comprises a quaint Thai Village set on a canal, bringing to life the traditional lifestyles, arts and crafts of the four regions of the Kingdom.

 

At 20.00 hrs, rejoice in the glory of ancient Siam and be fascinated by the wonder and grandeur of Siam Niramit. You will be amazed and captivated by:

 

 

Act 1: Journey back to history - For over seven centuries, Siam has been home to diverse cultures; a cross-roads where civilizations met. Siam Niramit takes you back to the past to witness this aspect of Thai life.

 

Act 2: Journey Beyond Imagination - Despite the diverse cultures and livelihood, Thai people are all bound by a common belief in religious principle of the Law of Karma. The good deeds or bad deeds in this world will result in merit or suffering in the next life.

 

Act 3: Journey Through Joyous Festivals - Believing that to go to Heaven, one must gather merit in their present life. In this final act, Siam Niramit will take you to enjoy all year round of merit making festivals, which combine religious ceremony with colourful and joyful celebrations.

 

Transfer back to hotel.

 

Overnight: Bangkok

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Siam Niramit)

 

BANGKOK

Day  08

 

After breakfast at the hotel, embark on your visit to the Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) the most beautiful and important Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is so richly and intricately decorated that upon entering the temple, you will feel as if you are in a real ’city of angels’.

 

Next, visit Vimanmek Mansion, the biggest golden teakwood building in the world. It was built in 1901 by King Rama V as a royal residence. It is now open to the public as a private museum of the late king where priceless treasures and a collection of the king’s memorabilia are displayed. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before you are transferred back to the hotel.

 

In the evening you will be introduced to mystical dances, Thai food and a truly Thai ambiance at Silom Village Restaurant. During dinner, feast your eyes on the grace and beauty of the dancers, elegantly performing stories from classical Thai literature and folklore. These traditional colorful costumes must be captured on camera. At the end of the show, you will be transferred back to the hotel.

 

Overnight: Bangkok

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

 

BANGKOK

Day  09

 

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be taken for a crash course in Thai cooking at Baipai Thai Cooking School. You will learn the fine art of preparing Thai cuisine. Participants learn by preparing food in a stylish Thai kitchen. Each individual will be fully equipped with necessary cooking tools i.e. stove, wok etc. all classes are small size - never more than 10 to ensure adequate personalized attention.

 

In the afternoon visit the Jim Thompson’s Thai House. This remarkable Thai style house is named after the man who created it from several exceptional examples of traditional Thai domestic architecture. Jim Thompson came to Thailand at the end of World War II. He became famous for reviving the Thai silk industry before disappearing under mysterious circumstances somewhere in

 

Malaysia. Now a museum, Jim Thompson’s Thai House contains connoisseur collections of Asian artifacts and antiques.

 

Transfer back to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you till your farewell dinner at a Thai restaurant.

 

Overnight: Bangkok

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (at the cooking school), Dinner

 

 

BANGKOK / ONWARD DESTINATION

Day  10

 

After breakfast, the rest of the day is free for you till the time that you have to leave for the airport in time for your flight to your next destination.